Kingston Flemings has clearly made quite the early impression.
The praise for his maturity and overall feel for the game wasn't minimal at this year's media day, and now that the preseason's begun, Atlanta remains bought in on their rookie, both on and off the court.
The best thing a team can do - if they want their young leader to have an outstanding first NBA season - is show him support through everything. Not just when it's going well, but when he begins to struggle.
He certainly didn't struggle in his preseason debut, but as a rookie point guard, it'll come. It was in an off-court outing that the team went all out to show Flemings they've got his back.
Flemings' high school jersey number is now in the rafters
To celebrate his big day - getting his number retired by the school that made him the player he is today - the entire Hawks roster showed up to the ceremony as a surprise.
The whole squad pulled up to surprise Kingston for his high school jersey retirement in San Antonio 🥹 pic.twitter.com/kU3IpNWeAP
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 8, 2026
While an act of this nature doesn't seem too grand on the surface, it's things like this that build up over time, helping a 19-year-old become more comfortable where he's at.
The most important thing a team can have in their pursuit of realistic contention is chemistry.
It outweighs talent. A roster can be made up of all the talent in the world, but if they're unable to connect with each other when they're not on the floor, they're not going to find sustainable success. Not in today's NBA, at least.
Flemings was thrown into the fire in his first NBA game. Originally set to come off the bench for veteran CJ McCollum, an unexpected late-day injury report change forced him into the starting lineup. For the most part, he delivered.
He wasn't perfect, but he showed just enough. His teammates will have to stick with him through inevitable highs and lows.
His rookie-year situation differs from many top-ten picks
It's not often that a 19-year-old who gets selected in the top ten of the NBA Draft immediately enters a winning situation. Even if they do, they're not expected to contribute in the nightly rotation. Flemings is.
While not in line to start on opening night, the long-term plan is for him to eventually take over. If he continues to display excellence, his case becomes clear, even as early as this year.
Everyone must stay patient with a rookie point guard's development. The team constantly showing up for him, this early into his career, is a great sign that they will.
Add us as a preferred source on Google